Hindu Samhati members attack journalists in Kolkata for interacting with Muslim families being 'converted'; 3 held

Journalists in Kolkata were attacked by Hindu Samhati workers after they tried to interact with 14 members of a Muslim family who were allegedly being converted to Hinduism at an event by Hindu Samhati on Wednesday, media reports said. Three persons have been arrested while the founder of Hindu Samhati, Tapan Ghosh, is being examined by the police.

#Kolkata: 14 members of a Muslim family allegedly converted to Hinduism at an event by Hindu Samhati. Journalists attacked by Hindu Samhati workers at the venue, reportedly when they tried to speak to the family. pic.twitter.com/Trq35mEWdq

According to ABP Ananda, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has condemned the incident, which took place on Rani Rasmoni Avenue, promising to take action against those guilty.

However, the incident, which coincided with Valentine's Day celebrations, was not the only occasion where Hindu fringe groups were reported to have created ruckus and disturbed law and order. Earlier, on Wednesday, nearly 10 activists of the VHP and its affiliate Bajrang Dal were detained after they allegedly tried to chase away young couples who had gathered at the Sabarmati Riverfront on the Valentine's Day, an event the so called 'Hindu' groups vehemently oppose as westernisation of Indian culture.

Bajrang Dal workers also held a rally in Nagpur and Hyderabad to oppose the celebration of Valentine's Day. In Odisha, the police took 30 activists of Kalinga Sena into preventive custody on Wednesday, apprehending trouble by the local outfit on the occasion of Valentine's Day. The outfit had threatened to raid parks and malls in the city to stop couples from celebrating Valentine’s Day, PTI reported.